Cracks in Reality
by Book117Worm
Summary: Hinata wakes up in a world where her family isn't in pieces. [posted on ao3]
1. A Mother's Pain

Boruto's screams of frustration almost feel like her own. He is standing in front of his father, furious. His hands are tightened into fists and he's shouting up at Naruto, who looms over him at nearly twice his size.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Himawari hiding behind the doorway.

"Stop it, you two," she forces out, but her words fall on deaf ears. "Stop it!"

"What's the point of being Hokage if you can't even come home to your own family?!" Boruto screams. The tone of his voice sends waves of agony crashing into her. "Do you even care about us? About me? About Himawari? About Mom?"

"Boruto," her own voice is shaking now. "Boruto, stop it."

Naruto's facial expression, which had remained neutral up until now, rushes through pure hurt and then lands on simmering anger. "You know that's not true!"

Boruto laughs weakly and humorlessly. "Do I?" he challenges. "The only thing that's ever mattered to you was being Hokage. Hokage, Hokage!"

Naruto's eyes widen in shock and he gasps, stepping back slightly. Hinata moves so she can see what startled him so much. And when she does, she too gasps, double-taking.

Boruto's bright blue eyes have turned into a furious, pupil-less, color-less gray.

The Byakugan.

Boruto, who had never shown any sign of her kekkei genkai for all twelve years of his life, had awoken the Byakugan.

She would have been proud if it were not for the situations under which he activated it.

Angry tears were now streaming down Boruto's cheeks. "Have I ever meant anything to you?"

The anger in the nanadaime's eyes vanished instantly. A look of pure agony and sadness replaced it. His lips move soundlessly back and forth before all he can muster is a small, "Boruto—"

"—does your stupid job matter more than me?"

Hinata blinks, then suddenly realizes she was crying too. The two boys who mattered most to her in her life are fighting, and neither of them are in the right or wrong. Yes, Naruto, Naruto who she had been so sure would be a great father, is a bad one. Yes, Hokage meant the world to him. Yes, Boruto is a brat. Yes, Boruto is an arrogant, ungrateful, who doesn't understand even a sixth of the sacrifices his father had made for him.

Naruto is crying now too. Hinata feels as if the trembling in his body are her own.

Their lives have changed so drastically from what they'd once been. Their lives had once been promising. The war had ended and their enemies were defeated. The future was bright, so how would it have gone so impossibly wrong?

Boruto's voice is shaking just as hard as the rest of his body. "Mom is a Kunoichi, not a house wife."

"Boruto," she interrupts. "Boruto, stop it!"

Boruto's remaining composure bursts like a bubble and then collapses like a damn. "You're so selfish!" he wails, "Everyone calls you a hero, but you're just a coward who's too afraid to be with his own fucking family—"

Her husband, her personal savior and destruction, her love since she knew what love was, a grown man, the Seventh Hokage, is now visibly sobbing, hiding ugly sniffles behind his hands.

"Will you even look at me?!"

"Boruto!" she shouts, stepping forward. He is overstepping too many boundaries. She needs to put an end to this. Now. "BORUTO!"

Her son wails in a pained scream of agony, frustration, and pain that shatters her heart into a million pieces. In an instant, he is launching himself into the air, with a hand motion she knows all too well.

Running on pure instinct, Hinata runs forward, throwing herself in front of her son's Gentle Fist. She feels her family's gasps of horror, the stabbing pain in her ribs, and then watches hopelessly as her world fades into black.

—-

When Hinata comes to, her whole body aches. Pain surges through every fiber of her being. A painful headache rings through her head. She blinks slowly once, then twice. Blinding light glares down at her. She moans, squinting, trying to move her arm to cover her face, only o find she did not have the strength to move it.

What happened?

The fight.

Naruto and Boruto fighting. Boruto's Byakugan. Boruto awoke the Byakugan. Not only that, but he knocked out his mother, a war veteran, using his untrained Gentle Fist. Just as Himawari had to Naruto. Heh. Hinata would have been so proud if her head didn't hurt so damn much.

She closes her eyes again, groaning and trying to refocus, pressing her head deeper into the pillows propping her head up. Pillows. She twitches her fingers slightly and felt the soft silk of bed sheets. Bed. She's in bed.

Through her foggy and hurting mind, Hinata senses two presences getting closer to her. One of them puts their weight on the bed, and it sinks slightly underneath them.

"Himawari!" a young man's voice calls softly to the other presence. "She's awake!"

"Really?!" her daughter's voice echoes around her mind.

The Kunoichi suddenly groans, hissing at the sudden pain in her ribs. At the recognization of her daughter, though, she forces her eyes open, frowning through the pain.

Naruto hovers over her, so close that she can see the small amount of acne on his tan face.

She groans with pain, squinting, and cradling her hand to the aching part in her ribs. "N-Naruto?"

Naruto, suddenly seventeen years younger, stares at her with a look of confusion and then worry. "Oh, yeah," he says in a tone and a voice that was very much not Naruto's. He turns in the opposite direction, looking over the bed at someone who she assumes is Himawari. "She's not okay."

With another groan, the Hyuga turns her head just enough to see the backside of a dark-haired girl running out through the bedroom door. She slowly tries to sit up, but her arms shake heavily and give out underneath her weight. She winces as she falls back onto the bed.

Naruto winces at her fall, pressing his hand to the one over her chest. "Just relax, Mom. Everything's fine."

She squints at him in confusion. Mom?

Through her bleary mind, she looks down at the hand on hers and realizes: Naruto doesn't have that hand. It's the one he had lost all of those years ago. Frazzled, Hinata looks back up at the boy.

This Naruto is much younger than when she had last seen him. In fact, he looks just as he had when he had returned to the Hidden Leaf after training with Jiraiya for so long. With his spiky blond hair falling in his face over his headband and tall, lean figure.

But something about this Naruto is off, aside from him calling her mom. This Naruto seems almost shy with the way he smiles reassuringly at her and how his shoulders were set a little less proudly.

He is suddenly fifteen, sixteen, again.

What is this? Is this a dream?

Two people come rushing back in through the bedroom door, thumping loudly and nearly knocking everything over in their path. The Hyuga winces, closing her eyes at their ruckus. She feels the two others join the young Naruto, and the three of them work together to get her sitting up with her pillows propping her back.

"Hinata?" Naruto's all too familiar voice calls out. "Are you okay?"

She opens her eyes and looks up. The Fourth Hokage's worried face stares back at her.

She frowns. "Huh?"

What the hell is going?

Her vision's beginning to blur again. She groans and the Fourth reaches out to her, holding on to her shoulders. He glances to the young Naruto. "Boruto, can you call Sakura 'basan?"

He nods, wordlessly, then runs out of the door.

Hinata watches him. Boruto? Boruto?

What in the name of—

The Kunoichi shakily brings her fingers to her lips. "Release," she whispers.

Nothing.

Minato makes a face of mock hurt at her. "Did you just try to Genjutsu release me?"

Too exhausted to answer, she ignores the supposed-to-be dead Hokage's words, when her eyes suddenly focus onto the details on his cheeks. Whiskers. Minato Namikaze did not have those whiskers. His son only had them because he had the Kyuubi and their children had them because they were his, so what—

Her head is spinning so rapidly it is beginning to hurt even more.

She passes out again.

—-

When she wakes up the second time, everything hurts much less. She feels like she has woke up from a long slumber. Hinata slowly opens her eyes, propping herself up right with much more strength than what she had possessed earlier. She looks around the room slowly, neck aching slightly as she does so. She's in the hospital, resting in one of the beds, with her long black hair tied in a lousy ponytail to the side.

She looks around the room again. So, it was just a dream after all?

As if on cue, the door slides open and a women steps in. Hinata recognizes her instantly.

Uchiha Sakura smiles at her, with a doctor's coat over her normal clothes, and her short pink hair falling around her face. She greets her warmly, like an old friend.

"Naruto and the kids were really worried about, you know," she says, sitting down at the end of her bed. "Himawari and Boruto forced me out of a meeting with the advisors," she clicks her tongue in fake annoyance, but the glimmer in her eyes says she doesn't mind at all.

"Meeting?" she echoes back. Doesn't Sakura work at home like her?

"Yes," she chuckles. "Sasuke-kun is currently there. He's not very happy." she pauses, then shrugs. "But he rarely is. Tough love," she laughs.

What?

"Are you okay?" she asks, glancing down at the clipboard in her hands, and then up at her. This Sakura, she realizes, looks just a little bit older. "Boruto said you two were talking and then you just suddenly collapsed."

"What?" she frowns. "That's not what happened— I, the Gentle Fist—"

"Someone knocked you out with the Gentle Fist?"

She nods.

"Who?"

"Boruto."

The pink-haired woman frowns. "Boruto—?"

"—He was fighting with Naruto," she begins, suddenly very nervous. "And he— he awoke his Byakugan for the first time."

Sakura frowns deeper. "Hinata-chan, Boruto awoke the Byakugan when he was twelve."

"Yeah," she agrees. "He's twelve."

"Hinata, Boruto's sixteen."

No.

No, that couldn't be...

The other Kunoichi stands up from the other end of the hospital bed and moves closer to her. "Can I?" she asks, raising her hands. Hinata nods. Sakura presses her palms to her temples, a soft green light emitting from them. The cool energy soothes her head and makes her relax a little.

After about a minute, Sakura pulls her hands back, frowning at her a little confusedly. "There seems to be no injury to your head," she concludes. The other Kunoichi flips through the papers on her clipboard for a few minutes, before she sighs, turning to her with a small smile. "Take some rest, yeah? I'll tell Hiashi to lay off on you for a while," she promises. "Take it easy. No training with the kids."

She never trained with the kids, anyways. Had Sakura hit her head?

Instead of voicing her concerns, Hinata just nods wordlessly.

The pink haired woman stands up, walking towards the door and sliding it open. A mischievous grin on her face. A young Naruto, an older Fourth Hokage, and a young black-haired girl fall through the door, crashing into a pile on top of each other the floor.

Hinata pales instantly. You have got to be shitting her.

The girl shouts, wiggling underneath the mound. "Get off of me!"

Relief washes over her when she recognizes the girl. Himawari.

She looks the same age as when she had last seen her, around ten. She is wearing her usual yellow hoodie and pink skirt. The only difference is the large scroll on her back.

Her relief, however, is short lived.

Young Naruto grunts in annoyance, trying to maneuver from underneath the weight of the Fourth.

Minato, however, seems to find the situation hilarious. He leans more of his weight onto the kids underneath him, grinning wickedly with Naruto's grin. "Aren't you guys Chunin? You shouldn't be caught eavesdropping."

Himawari somehow manages to look up at him and snicker in a very Naruto like way. "Says the Seventh Hokage."

"I never graduated past Genin," he defended.

"I will kill you," Young Naruto threatens angrily.

Hinata's head is spinning. What the hell is going on?

With their combined force, the children shove the Hokage off of them, and quickly scramble to their feet so he couldn't trap them again. Minato laughs, standing up, and brushing off his Hokage cloak.

His Hokage cis cut like a jacket, covering a black shirt with orange accessories. His pants are black too, with his ninja tool set wrapped around his knee. It is a rather unprofessional and well, different, Hokage look.

"Naruto!" Sakura barks with a sudden swing in attitude. "Stop fooling around! Your wife is in the hospital!"

Minato laughs nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Nah, nah, sorry, Sakura-chan."

Hinata freezes. Naruto. _Naruto?_

She examines him again, apprehensively.

He looks so much different in comparison to the last time she had seen him. His hair has grown longer and he looks a little bit older. His once short, blond hair is now grown enough to tie into a small ponytail. Spiky blond hair frames his face just like it had most of his life. He looks so much like his late father, but the differences are still there. His face is a little wider and his eyes a little lighter. His skin a little tanner.

Her lips move back and forth wordless before she manages to force out. "Naruto...?" Then her eyes suddenly flick to the other Naruto.

Or, as she realizes, Boruto.

He is older than when he had last seen him, unlike Himawari. He looks just like Naruto all those years ago. So alike, that even now, she sees more of his father than him.

"I'm having her stay in a few more days," Sakura tells Naruto. "She'll be fine. She just needs a lot of rest."

Naruto nods with understanding. Boruto sits down on the edge of her bed and Himawari stands in front of her, opening her arms. Hinata welcomingly hugs her and only lets her go when the younger child complains. "Ack! Mom! You're squishing me!"

With a small smile, she lets go. She doesn't understand what was going on, but her children were here, albeit a little different.

Hinata looks between her son and her husband, and cannot help but smile a little on the inside. Did the Namikaze clan only make copies of themselves?

"Now, c'mon," calls the pink-haired woman to the Hokage from the doorway. "Sasuke's gonna kick your ass if we leave him alone any longer."

The Jinchūriki sniffs, following her. "Why my ass?"

Sakura does not answer. The two Shinobi walk out of the door and a few seconds later, when they are both down the hallway, the distinct noise of someone's butt being loudly slapped echoes across the halls and Naruto's horrified cry ring out.

In very out of character ways for themselves, Himawari laughs delightfully with glee and Boruto moans in mortification but grins.

Her children stay with her a little longer, chatting with her about their favorite new shows and video games. Eventually, however, a nurse comes by to shoo them away, and tells them to let her have some rest. The two children reluctantly leave, waving to her continuously, until the nurse physically shoves them both out the door. The nurse inspectes her for a few minutes, asking her how she feels, but quickly leaves when she is satisfied.

When she is finally alone again, Hinata sweeps her eyes against the room, searching just in case, then closes her eyes and brings her fingers to her lips.

"Release."

She cracks an eye open after a few seconds of silence. The empty hospital room stares back at her, unchanging.

—

On the third day of being hospitalized, the doctors discharge her with a warning to take it easy.

Her children are on her sides, walking with her to their house.

Are they even her children, though? Why are they so different?

Boruto, always loud and outspoken, has become shy and passive, although still retaining his fighting spirit. Himawari, who had always been introverted and sweet, has become loud and energetic, practically bouncing off the walls as they walked down the street.

What id going on?

Himawari moves quickly and a flicker of light around her neck catches Hinata's eyes. A forehead protector is tied loosely around her daughter's neck.

Hinata's eyes widen. When had Himawari graduated from the Academy?— No, that couldn't be. Her Himawari hadn't even been enrolled yet. Maybe it's someone else's headband?

The Hyūga's eyes slowly scan up from Himawari's neck to her cheeks and she freezes.

Three, she realizes with a startle. She looks to Boruto. Also three. Three whiskers.

Her children had two.

A maid greets them at the front door, which is unusual only because they didn't have maids. However, Hinata is nonetheless greatful that the rest of the house is unchanged. Her wind chimes still sing harmoniously on the front porch and the birds she had painted on the mailbox when she had been pregnant with Himawari still remained. On the inside, shoes are still messily strewn around the front door and family photos still hang in over corner. However, there were small differences. Small things out of place. For example, there are pictures of moments and people Hinata knows for a fact did not happen.

A photo of Boruto with a stern-faced, pink-haired girl around his age.

One of a younger looking Himawari, grinning with Naruto's boxy grin while pointing to the Leaf headband on her forehead. Herself, Boruto, and Naruto gathered behind her, smiling proudly.

Another of Naruto sitting cross-legged on the grass, visibly younger, caught mid-smile as a young Himawari and Boruto busy themselves with twisting daisies into his hair.

One of Uchiha Sasuke, of all people, asleep on a couch, with three little children snuggled up against him.

Without realizing it, Hinata becomes caught up with inspecting the pictures. The maid and these weird versions of Boruto and Himawari watch her cautiously.

"Hinata-sama?" the maid calls.

"Hm?" she asks, looking up. Who is this woman?

"Everyone else has left for the day, but is there anything you need?" she asks politely. "Perhaps a warm towel or a cup of miso?"

"No, thank you," she says, forcing herself to smile through her cloud of confusion. "You may take your leave."

The maid does not question her orders. She bows and is out the door in seconds.

Himawari looks up at her, astonished. "Whatcha do that for— dattabe?" she asks, complaining, and sticking her lower lip out. Hinata can't help but stare at her in surprise with her drastic change in personality.

"Ichiraku?" Boruto offers, stretching his arms behind his head, grinning bashfully.

"Yosh!" shouts Himawari in a way that reminds her so clearly of Naruto in their Genin days. The young girl takes off towards the door, shouting something about being starved to death.

Boruto turns to her, blond hair shifting shyly in front of his blue eyes. "Do you want anything to eat, Mama?"

"I'm fine," she promises with a. Smile.

He frowns. "Are you sure? We're not actually supposed to leave you alone, dattabasa."

She waves him off. "I can handle myself."

It looks for a second like he is going to argue with her, but his shoulders just relax and he smiles at her, kissing her quickly on the cheek. "We'll be back!" he shouts over his shoulder, running after his younger sister.

The Hyuga watches him leave with her hand curled over her chest. If this is a genjutsu, the caster needed to do a lot more research on her family.

—

Hinata, after nearly the hundredth try, collapses down onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling in distraught. It's the same bed she had first woken up in after her Boruto knocked her out with his Gentle Fist.

This is not a genjutsu, she finally accepts, breathing shakily. There is no trap, no mind games. Nothing for her Byakugan to see the real truth to.

Nothing but the reality she knew with so many minor yet drastic tweaks.

It makes her head spin madly. If this reality, if this weird world, is real, had the one she had come to known been fake all along?

The Hyuga stares up the ceiling. She is a kunoichi and kunoichis do not cry, but she is exhausted and deeply misses her real family, so she falls asleep into a deep slumber in the blink of an eye. She barely wonders if she'll be able to return to her old world.

—

Hinata spends the next week getting as much information as she could get her hands on. Photos, old reports, anything. This world, so similar to own, yet so drastically different.

A world where her family is happy. Where Naruto makes the effort to come home, to be a much larger part of his children's lives. A world where Boruto doesn't despise his father and the Hokage title. A world where she isn't restricted to the title of a house wife and she doesn't have to lie to Himawari about their family being okay.

A world where her family is happy. Different, drastically different, but happy nonetheless.

Naruto, although still busy, makes the effort to come home every day, even if just for a few minutes. He is happier. He is physically a little older, but mentally a little younger. This Naruto does not carry the weight of the war so heavily as her own. He is freer, less weighed down by the world. He remained energetic and good-hearted. The Naruto she had fallen in love with so many years ago, just a little maturer.

Hinata pats his long hair and tells him he looks like his father. Naruto smiles.

—

In this world, Hinata quickly comes to learn, that although Boruto may resemble Naruto, it is Himawari who truly takes after their dad. Himawari is energetic, eager, and full to the bone with ambition. She is what Hinata remembered Naruto as in their Genin days. This Himawari is head strong and loud. Not only is this such a drastic change in the personality of her daughter than she had come to know, but there are more changes in her than just that.

This world's Himawari is nothing short of a genius. It seems she still had awakened the Byakugan at age 3, but instead of waiting to train her, like Hinata and her reality's Naruto had agreed, it seems they had thrown her into vigorious training since that day. And the results showed. At the age of six, she enrolled in the Academy and graduated with flying colors only a year later. At the age of nine, she had successfully passed the Chuunin exams alongside teammates twice her age, where Shinobi three times her size had failed. And now at the age of ten, she is expected to be the best kunoichi of her generation.

Hinata misses the sweet, shy little girl she had come to known, the daughter she had known, but she quickly comes to love this Himawari too.

Hinata tells her she's proud of her when the young Shinobi returns from a C-ranked mission. Himawari crushes her in a giant hug, smiling up at her with a toothy grin.

Hinata laughs and kisses her forehead.

—-

This reality's Boruto is also significantly different from her own.

Her Boruto had been everything his father had been, but without everything that had made him so endearing. Her Boruto was young and snotty. He was a brat who hated his father, who was ungrateful and didn't understand all the sacrifices he had made. He was arrogant and loud. He lacked Naruto's "Talk no Jutsu" , his golden heart, and his dorky charms. Hinata loves her son, knows there were somethings he was right about, but knows that he hadn't exactly been the easiest person to deal with.

This Boruto is not only older, but so much more different. He is easily embarrassed, while flipping through introvert and extrovert traits like a light switch. He has a moral compass that competes with even Naruto's in strength. He is sweet and understanding. He is playful and joking, but quick to anger in a way that reminds Hinata strikingly of Sakura. He is lovable and as warm as a beautiful summer's day.

He, too, is a Chuunin. Although he is not at the same level of genius as his sister, he is, nonetheless, a great Shinobi. And for what his physical skills lack, he makes up with in brain power, strategy, and a heart of gold.

This Boruto loves his father, looks up to him even. The two laugh around and joke with each other in a way that Hinata can't even remember her Boruto and Naruto doing.

Hinata— Hinata really loves this Boruto.

She tells him so, too, and his face gets all red and scrunched up in embarrassment. Hinata laughs, pulling him closer to kiss him on the forehead. She half-expects him to cry out in embarrassment, but he just crinkles his nose endearingly and hugs her back.

—

It doesn't take her long to figure out how Naruto is able to come home so often.

Sakura and Sasuke.

The two act as his top advisors, his right hand men, and even temporary, stand-in Hokages. Instead of growing apart after the war like the three she had known had, this Team 7 only grew closer.

And it is visible. Not only when Naruto and Sakura joke with each other or how Sakura treats her kids, but in every family picture hanging on her wall. In nearly every family photo in their house, Sakura and Sasuke are standing next to Naruto, smiling, next to a pink-haired girl around Boruto's age— perhaps the Sarada of this world?

Hinata listens to Sakura and Naruto (lovingly) shit-talking the Uchiha over cups of tea. She laughs with them despite feeling like an outsider.

It seems it's not only her family that's happier.

—-

It takes another week for Hinata to come across this world's Sasuke and Sarada. The two had been out of the village on a father-daughter training trip. They return just after the sun has set and as the Hyuga-Uzumaki family, accompanied by Sakura, are finishing dinner.

When Hinata opens the door, she feels like she's looking at two clones. Well, perhaps that's a bit of an exaggeration. Sarada is not that physicially similar to her father, but it is truly impossible to not see the elder Uchiha in her.

This Sarada holds herself just like Sasuke, standoffish and reserved. There is something about her that's so undeniably elegant. Her skin is just several shades darker than her father's. Her face is slim and has sharp curves in every needed place. Her eyes are a deep brown, so dark they might as well be black. She is wearing the top half of a red kimono paired with black pants. Hinata would almost consider her intimidating, if not for the long pink hair in high twin ponytails tied on opposite sides of her head. But in all, she is gracefully beautiful in every way that Uchihas are.

In Sarada's hands is a small bouquet of beautiful flowers, tagged with Ino's family shop name.

Sarada awkwardly holds it out to her. "Feel better Hinata 'basan."

Sakura moves to greet her her family. She laughs and affectionately pats her daughter's pink head.

Hinata smiles. "Thank you," she says, accepting the flowers, and gesturing for the last two Uchiha to step it.

Dinner is chaotic. Dinner is beyond _chaotic_.

Naruto eagerly rattles on about Himawari's quick development in sealing techniques, and the young kunoichi excitedly joins in hyping herself up. Boruto listens curiously to Sarda's and Sasuke's trip and then bickers with her about how she didn't take him. Sakura happily tells Sasuke about all the embarassing things Naruto had done while he had been gone.

The dinner leaves an overwhelming warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest.

Sakura remained the way she had in her youth, fierce and monstrously strong. Sasuke, on the other hand, has calmed down quite a bit in comparison. He is still quiet and closed off, but the smalls smiles and laughs he gives speak for themselves.

Their families flow so seamlessly together that it really is incredible. Sakura and Sasuke easily fall into mother and father roles for her children. The same for the other way around.

This, Hinata thinks, watching Naruto laugh with them, this she could get used to.

—

At some point, Hinata stops wanting to go back. There is no doubt this reality is real in someway. She has no proof that the reality she had known had been real. Why would she want to go back, even if she could?

Her family is happy here. As long as they are happy, that's all that really mattered— right?

—

She and Hanabi are sitting in the court yard of the Hyūga compound, catching up and eating lunch. They are covered in sweat and Hinata has forgotten how physically exhausting training could be.

"Father is proud of you," she says, pausing in between bites to smile at her younger sister.

"Me?" repeats Hanabi, arching an eyebrow. She laughs and shakes her head. "He's especially proud of you. He's glad you changed your mind on being head of the family."

Hinata smiles to herself. A world where her father is proud of her for her own accomplishments, not just because she marreid the Hokage.

"I'm not supposed to tell you," begins Hanabi, "but he wants you to become head as soon as possible. Within the next two months or something."

Hinata nods, choosing chewing her food over verbally answering.

"You were talking about quitting before you hit your head," says her sister, staring at her. She has suddenly become serious. "What made you change your mind?"

Hinata pauses for a second, lowering her chopsticks. "I guess to make the changes Neji wanted," she admits finally. "Things have improved in the clan, but there's a lot more room to grow."

Hanabi nods. "Your head is fine too, right? Boruto said you had some amnesia."

Her memory is fine. She just didn't own the past memories of this reality's Hinata.

But there is no way she would let anyone else know that.

"I'm fine," she laughs. "You worry too much."

Her sister rolls her eyes. "Sorry for being concerned."

They finish their lunch quietly. The only sound in the air is their chewing and the soft clanks of their chopsticks.

Hanabi closes her bento box, resting her chopsticks on top. "You sure you're not scared?" she asks. "You hated the idea of becoming head for years..."

Hinata chuckles, closing her bento box. She looks at her younger sister and smiles. "I'm not a child anymore, Hanabi."

She is Hyuga-Uzumaki Hinata.

And she is no longer a house wife.

—

Kiba easily holds up her son by the scruff of his neck, like a puppy. His feet hang inches off the ground, but he's given up on struggling against Kiba's grip. The sight makes her smile, and behind her, Naruto falls out of his Hokage chair, laughing hysterically.

Boruto wriggles and shouts some half-formed threats at his father, who only continues rolling around on the ground, clutching his sides.

"Oi, Hinata," Kiba greets. "I was actually looking for Naruto, but you're way better."

She raises an eyebrow.

He raises Boruto higher. "Your son got in a fight with my niece."

"Boruto," she scolds.

Naruto stands up. "Did he win?"

She shoots him a dirty glare.

"Boruto," she begins. "What did you do?"

He crosses his arms, but it's hardly threatening with how Kiba's hold is on him. "She said I smelled like fox."

"And-?"

"—I called her a mutt and told her dogs weren't allowed in the building."

Naruto breaks down laughing again. She almost thinks hes going to start crying soon. With a sigh of defeat, Hinata hangs her head.

"Thank you, Kiba," she tells him, then turns to her son and points at him. "And you, don't fight with your teammates."

Boruto snickers. He opens his mouth to say something more.

Kiba drops him.

—

Himawari is pouting. She's thrown her body into the couch and hanging half-off upside down.

"Why don't you let me go on missions, Dad?" she grumbles, glaring at her father who is only a few feet away.

Naruto only looks half-amused. "I do send you on missions."

"C and D Rank missions!" she shouts, crossing her arms. She makes that face that Naruto often did when he had been handed a mission he didn't like when they were young. It made her laugh.

"Back me up here, Hinata," he begs.

She smiles before turning to her daughter. "Your father is right, Hima. You're not ready for higher ranked missions."

"I'm a Chunin."

"You're also ten," she argues.

She only pouts heavier. She glares slightly at Naruto, but she's hardly threatening. "You let Sarada and Boruto go on A and B-ranked missions."

Naruto raises an eyebrow. "Sarada and Boruto are six years older than you."

She sticks out her tongue childishly.

"If being with Dad at the office all day is boring, you could always clean the house," offers Hinata.

Himawari whines loudly once, then collapses deeper into the couch, accepting her defeat. At least for now.

—-

The sight is a mixture of terrifying, adorable, and downright hilarious.

Looking at them, Hinata is partially afraid Sasuke will reach out in his sleep and stab her husband. It is also, however, undeniably amusing, to see these two old farts of Shinobis, the most powerful the world has ever seen, in such a position.

Sasuke and Naruto are squished up on the couch together, both laying on their sides and trying to horizontally fit themselves in the slim space.

They are both knocked out cold.

Sasuke is sleeping with his one arm wrapped around a kunai, like the mad man he is. Naruto's larger frame is caging him in and is completely relaxed despite the weapon risk. His real arm is thrown over Sasuke's side and his fake one is hanging off the side of the couch. Their legs are tangled together in a hilarious pile of limbs. Naruto's snores are in the only sound echoing between them.

Uchiha Sasuke, former Akatsuki member, former S-ranked criminal, sole head of the legendary Uchiha clan, is a small spoon.

Hinata laughs softly behind her hand and Himawari's face is turning red from trying not to make a noise. Sarada is staring at their fathers with a cross between amusement and disappointment. And Boruto is snickering, but the embarrassed flush to his cheeks betrays him.

Sakura's face is twisted into a devious grin as she tries to capture the moment with a camera.

Hinata only smiles at the two, amused above all else. She probably should have thought more of the moment.

—-

It is a peaceful day, which really should have been a warning on its own. The Uzumaki-Hyūga household is never peaceful. So far, though, that chaos has usually been joyful.

Hinata is tending to the flowers in her bedroom window, peacefully humming to herself and watering the plants.

When suddenly a loud explosion occurs, violently shaking the whole house. Dust falls from the ceiling and a ceiling tile comes crashing down from the flower.

What the fuck?

In an instant, Hinata is rushing to the roof of her house. She throws open the door and—- and, well—-

The Chief Toad is standing on her roof. On top of her house. It's a miracle she hadn't been flattened to death.

In front of the gigantic toad, her family is gathered. Himawari screams something that sounds like, "I did it! Dattebe!" Naruto shouts something back in encouragement and Boruto is staring up at the toad in a mixture of horror and shock.

The Chief Toad huffs angrily, glaring down at the three of them. A curl of smoke blows out from his cigar. "Why summon me?"

"Practice!" cheers Himawari.

He stares down at her, wordlessly, before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Himawari is running over to her, tackling her into a hug. "Mama! Did you see that? I summoned the Chief Toad!"

Hinata blinks wordlessly at her for a few seconds until she is able to respond. "That... that was you?"

Her daughter only grins back.

A ten year old summoning the Chief Toad, now that... that was something else.

The Hyūga crushes her in a hug. "My little genius."

Himawari laughs.

—

Much to Hinata's surprise, it is not Himawari who is dubbed "#1 Most Unpredictable Kunoichi", although she does come in a hot second.

For someone so cunning and smart, Sarada really doesn't know how to use her head sometimes.

On the surface, she seems like a photo copy of Sasuke's personality. She is standoffish, stoic, and keeps to her self. Her only close friend is Boruto and even she didn't talk to him a whole lot, often silently following him everywhere. However, she is sweet and kind at her center— and actually scarily like Kakashi... maybe? She has no idea, all she knows is that Uchihas are fucking crazy and Sarada is no exception.

Hinata is taking a break from her work, sipping on her tea, and watching the two teenagers duel. Byakugan vs Sharingan. Both of them move with incredible ease and grace, with skill that can only be attained through a lifetime of training.

But then Sarada is flipping backwards a few feet away from him, and then presses her fingers into an all too familiar hand sign.

"Oiroke no Jutsu."

Hinata doesn't know if she wants to laugh or cry.

Sarada's appearance is replaced by a beautiful, naked young woman with long red hair. The only thing hiding the henge's full appearance are a few small clouds in just the right place.

Boruto shouts out at her angrily, shaking his fist threateningly in a way that reminded Hinata of Sakura. "Pervert!" he screams, accidentally dropping his Byakugan.

The Uchiha drops the transformation, launching herself through the cloud at him, pink hair flying behind her. She lands a perfect hit to Boruto's face.

Her son goes flying, crashing into the ground with a loud grunt. He moans, head pounding painfully. He moans and pushes himself in a sitting position with shaky arms.

"Hey!" he scowls. Blood dripping down from his nose, either from the Jutsu or the punch that followed. Hinata doesn't mind that she doesn't know the answer. "That's dirty, Sarada!"

Sarada only smirks triumphantly at him.

—-

She hands Boruto a plate with soap on it to wash it off. "Hey, I haven't seen Mitsuki lately. Is he off on a mission?"

Boruto lowers the plate and blinks at her, tilting his head like a curious puppy. "Who's Mitsuki?"

—

The blast is so powerful it sends rock showering in every direction. Hinata jumps back, easily avoiding a piece of flying debris. The crackling blue electricity in Boruto's hand fades and he turns to her, a bright grin on his face.

Hinata looks between the destroyed bolder and her son. Had... Had he really done that?

Next to Boruto, Sasuke nods in approval. His coat is missing and his armless sleeve flaps slightly in the wind. "Your aim and chakra control are approving."

The blond cheers, turning back to her. He holds out four fingers to her. "Four Chidoris in one day— Dattebasa!"

Sasuke shakes his head. "You have a ridiculous amount of chakra and stamina."

Boruto grins at his Sensei. "Neh, Uncle Sasuke you sound like Shikamaru-san."

The older shinobi's eye twitches and the boy laughs.

Nearby, Sarada jumps down from the boulder she had been watching them from. She lands gracefully on her feet, pink ponytails swaying. "Rasengan is still way cooler," she says, but she joins Boruto's side and pats his shoulder to show he had done good.

She holds out her hand, a small ball of wind and light swirling into life. Then she closes her fist and it vanishes.

Boruto waves her away. He is too delighted at his sensei's praise to bicker with her.

Hinata looks between the obliterated bolder and her son.

Boruto. Bolt.

Lightning.

Lightning bolt.

_Duh._

—-

Sakura and Boruto are laying down a beautiful cake in front of her. It is a two-story lavender cake, with little, purple candy flowers stuck into its sides. It is a bit messy and uneven, but Hinata would choose it over a store bought cake any day.

There is a purple frosting on Boruto's cheek and Hinata chuckles, wiping off his face with her thumb.

"Ooh!" Himawari says, leaning over the table with big eyes. "So pretty!"

Naruto nods.

"You didn't have to do this, Sakura-chan," says Hinata.

"Of course we did," she smiles. "It is a special occasion."

"Head of one of Konoha's most honorary families," agrees Naruto, smiling proudly at her. He quickly urged her to cut the cake.

The cake is delicious and quite a bit of it is thrown around by the children and adults. Naruto smears cake all over Sasuke's face and then Sakura is shouting, "Shannaro!" and smashing cake into his face in retaliation.

It's going to be a pain to clean up, but the chaos and the laughter created is more than worth it.

The children are laughing and smiling, and Hinata's whole body is fuzzy with warmth and love.

Yes, she thinks, staring at them with a smile. This is where she wants to be.

—

This reality is happy. There is no doubt about that.

A world where her family considers each other the most precious thing in the world. A world where Naruto is busy, but never an absent father, and where Boruto doesn't hate him, and plays and bickers with him like father and son should. A world where Himawari is a prodigy and Hinata is the head of a family she once dreaded for so long. A world where Sasuke stays with his family and Sarada doesn't despise him for his absence. A world where their families are so interconnected that it truly is hard to remember that the Uchiha weren't actually family.

Yes, this reality is a happy one— but it is not perfect.

And it does not take long for Hinata to start seeing the cracks in this reality too.

—

This was an idea that I had that really just spiraled out of control, but it mainly stemmed from how I wished they would've written Boruto. Here's some more ideas that I ran out of room to include or what may not have been very clear:

\- Orochimaru has been dead since the end of the war, so Mitsuki doesn't exist.

\- Instead of a son, Lee has an adopted daughter with a bob/bowl cut lol

\- Shino is a researcher instead of a teacher

\- Sarada and Boruto have the same dreams as they do in canon. Sarada still wants to become a Hokage and Boruto still wants to be like Sasuke

\- Shikamaru and Temari have a daughter, who has like Temari's hair with Shika's color?

\- idk I just really don't like the canon character designs

\- Tenten has become sort of a Tony Stark figure. She invents a lot of ninja weapons.

\- technology hasn't advanced as far as it has in canon

If I remember anything else, I'll comment it or add it later :) . There will be a part two. I spent a very long time on both parts, maybe like a month...? Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed it :((( More to come soon!


	2. A Mother's Love

It would be foolish to suggest that any reality was perfect, even this one. Of course Hinata has seen the faults from earlier on.

Himawari's isolation from other kids her age, the consequence of her young strength. Boruto's low self-esteem and insecurities, stemmed from years of being compared to his father and sister. Sarada's lack of social skills that were only slightly better than father's, even though she hadn't watched her family's massacre at a young age.

The longing touches and glances that Sasuke and Naruto shared that lasted a little too long.

Sasuke's persistence in ignoring her, or acknowledging her as little as possible. Boruto's inability to turn down a fight, even if he knows he'll lose. Himawari's head strong and oblivious nature. How her children seemed to see Sakura as more of a mother figure than her, their mother.

How Naruto was closer to his teammates than to her, his own wife.

Hinata could hardly say anything though. Their claim to Naruto extended her's by a long shot. Besides, Naruto was happier closer to them. And that was okay. As long as her family was happy, that's all that really mattered.

But, of course, happiness, like all things, is temporary. And Hinata can only protect her family from the world so much.

—-

It happens a year after she arrives, when Sarada and Boruto's mission goes horribly wrong.

It started off as a simply mission, it really had. A small-scale B-ranked mission to protect the employer, a collector, and his alleged "priceless" ninja scroll. Two genin and one other chunin had been assigned, simply because of the man's paranoia. He had even hired civilian bodyguards just in case.

However, it seems he had been right to worry.

Boruto was found two miles away on the bank river, beaten beyond recognition and soaking wet. Sarada was found with everyone else, on a dusty cliff, surrounded by wreckage and disfigured, bloody corpses.

They were the only survivors.

—

Hinata's hands are shaking as she flips through the medical reports. Naruto had made it to the hospital first, and without saying anything, handed the clipboard to her.

Uchiha Sarada, synopsis: Injuries to arms and legs. Most injury to brain and mind. Floats in and out of consciousness. Mind completely shattered by genjutsu. Genjutsu is only temporarily breakable, seems clan related. Ask father. Psychic evaluation ordered.

Hyūga-Uzumaki Boruto, synopsis: Severe damage to chakra system. Extensive wounds to all areas of the body. Multiple broken bones stretching from arms to legs. Shattered jaw. Lacerations to torso. Remains unconcious.

Tears run down her face and drop onto the clipboard, when a sudden, ear-shattering scream rings throughout the hallway. Sarada's scream. Her and Naruto are up in an instant.

They bust through the door. Sarada is twisting and kicking in the hospital bed, face scrunched up in pain and short cries falling from her lips. Beads of sweat roll down her face and her pink hair is plastered across her face. Sakura is shakily pressing her hands to her daughter's forehead, soft green light emitting from them. Sasuke is gripping her hand with his remaining one like a life line. Nurses and medical ninjas scatter back and forth around the room.

Sakura presses her index finger and middle finger of her free hand together and holds them to Sarada's head. "Release!"

Sarada's eyes shoot open and the whole room seems to freeze. Frozen, Hinata stares into the deadly black flower of the Mangekyo Sharingan .

But then she closes her eyes, if only for a second, and slips back underneath the genjutsu.

Anguish consumes Sasuke's features and he is shaking now too. Sasuke, who has warmed up to the world, but is still sealed away from it.

Naruto tries to release the genjutsu too, but it only works temporarily. Genjutsu was never his strong point. He says something to Sasuke and the former-con leaves in a puff of smoke, in search of any clan records that would be of help.

The true panic and realization is starting to dawn on Hinata. She runs up to a nurse and she's almost yelling. "My son. Where is my son?"

Her husband is by her side in the blink of an eye. The nurse tries to tell them that Boruto is in intensive care and can't be seen, but another nurse interrupts her.

"Oh, just let them. ICU room 3."

Hinata is running down the hallway, Naruto by her side, before they can get another word out. They burst through the large doors and the medical ninjas jump back in surprise.

"You can't—" one begins but shuts up when she sees who they are.

What little that is left of Hinata's composure is immediately shattered.

Boruto is hovering mid-air, suspended by a jutsu to help the medical ninjas. His blond hair is coated with crusty and dried blood. His clothes are ripped to tatters and covered in blood. Deep lacerations cover his chest and run down to his legs and Hinata spots something white that she prays to God isn't bone. His face is cruelly distorted by bruises and scratches to the point she doesn't recognize him.

Anguish consumes her whole body at once, crashing into her violently. His pain is her own.

He shouldn't be alive. Boruto shouldn't be alive.

Boruto. Her babyHer first born. Her only son.

Her baby.

Her baby should be dead.

Hinata breaks down crying.

—

Boruto's room is just as unkept when she had last been in it. The room is scattered with ninja scrolls and clothes. Sunlight streams gently through the small opening in the curtains. His pet turtle calmly chews on a piece of lettuce, none the wiser.

He is still in the hospital. His body more fragile than wet paper. The medical ninjas try desperately to piece her baby back together, but there is only so much one can do. Chakra paths were not easy to heal, nor were they paths often broken. They can try to mend them back together as hard as they want, but at the end of the day, Boruto will never have the stable chakra system or control that he once had.

Hinata grasps onto Boruto's pillow from her spot on his bed.

The idea of him dying of his injuries wasn't a possibility she would let herself think of. She wouldn't know where to begin.

The room is silent, savor for the fan, the turtle's soft chewing, and the beating of her own heart.

She spots a picture frame face down on his bed stand and reaches out to pick it up. An unfamiliar picture stares back at her.

An older Mirai, who Hinata had learned earlier was Sarada and Boruto's assigned jonin, stands behind three preteens, smiling brightly. A young Boruto and Sarada smile at the camera.

Their happy, young faces are overshadowed by the memory of the last time she saw both of them.

In between the two is a kunoichi Hinata doesn't recognize. Her long brown hair is tied up into a ponytail and the sun glints off the forehead protector tied around her neck. Her grin is wide and square, and her eyes are practically glowing with energy. She has both arms slung around the shoulders of her teammates. Neither of them seem to mind.

This is their genin team, Hinata realizes with a start. The one of this world.

But who is this girl?

She senses Naruto at the door before she sees him. The door creeks open slowly and her husband walks. He collapses down next to her on the bed, wordlessly, refusing to look around their son's room.

She can feel the exhaustion leaking off of him. Heavy bags underline his eyes and his skin is uncharacteristically pale. He suddenly looks ten years older.

"Sasuke thinks he's found a solution for Sarada," he finally speaks up, interrupting the silence between them. She holds her breath. "There's no change in Boruto's case."

She stares down at the young Boruto in the picture. The frame feels more fragile than glass in her hands. "I suppose that's both good and bad, isn't it?"

Being optimistic is hard.

Naruto, uncharacteristically, says nothing.

He cocks his head towards her and his eyes drift down to the frame in her hands. "Watcha got there?" he asks, leaning closer to her.

Hinata passes him the frame and his expression becomes anguished. Naruto stares down at the picture with guilt etched all over his expression.

She points to the girl more joyful than the sun in the middle. "Who is she?"

He tilts his head a little, eyes sparkling sadly. "You don't remember?"

"Somethings are still messing from, y'know, that incident," she lies through her teeth.

He wavers for a long second and even his blond hair seems darker. "Sato... Sato Ayame."

"Sato?" she echoes, tracing the picture frame with the tip of her fingers. "I don't recognize that clan."

"You wouldn't," he admits, looking down. "They're a civilian family. They own a bakery downtown."

That look in his eyes...

She bits her lip. "Did something happen to her?"

Naruto closes his eyes then sighs, setting the frame back down onto the nightstand. "She passed away a little after becoming a chunin on a mission."

Oh.

The guilt in his eyes is clearer than the day sky.

"Naruto..." she whispers, grasping his hand in her own, "it's not your fault."

He was having none of it. "I sent her on that mission," he begins softly. "I sent Boruto and Sarada on that mission."

How could he possibly think that?

She shakes her head. "There's no way you could've—"

He turns to her and the look in his eyes is sad, exhausted, and unmoving. "What Hokage am I if I send children off to their deaths?"

The Hyūga falls silent. She doesn't know what to say. She grips his hand tighter.

She vaguely wonders if that's the same mission that Sarada awoke her Sharingan.

The silence between them feels like miles. Then Naruto lets go of her hand and gets up silently, walking like a dead man to somewhere else in their house. Hinata's hand, the one that once held his, curls tightly around the bed sheets of Boruto's bed.

When had things gone so wrong?

—

Hinata kisses the top of Boruto's forehead, patting his soft blond hair. Himawari looks up at her from his bedside. Her legs hang off the side of his hospital bed and one of her hands rests on his chest. "I can help, Mom," she speaks up, softly.

Her mother shakes her head. She needs to protect her. She won't let her see. "Stay here with your brother."

Himawari frowns, but does not persistent. Even she is tired.

Hinata kisses her on the forehead and promises she'll return, then she is making her way down the hall way and pushing open the ICU door.

At the center of the room are Sarada and Sasuke. Sakura and Naruto are standing a few feet away, watching their teammate. The Uchiha is drawing characters onto his daughter's bare back, and Sarada is hunched over the ground, sweating and shaking heavily. She presses a loose kimono to her front upper half. Her pink hair is untied and falls messily around her face.

She looks more sick than a corpse.

Hinata closes the door behind her and joins the other two on the side.

On their mission, Sarada had witnessed, what she believed, was Boruto's death. But Boruto was not dead, beaten and broken, but alive—which somehow caused her to become trapped in her own Tsukuyomi.

What a cruel twist of fate.

Hinata wonders how Sasuke feels. To have the kekkei genkei you passed down to your child, destroy their mind. Perhaps that is why he insisted on being the one to do this.

The dark haired man finishes the characters and he makes a series of hand signs too quick for her normal eyes to see. The kanji swirl around, then disappear. They flicker on Sarada's like tattoos, but disappear just as quickly as they reappeared.

The teenager collapses immediately and her father rushes to catch her, as Naruto and Sakura run up to them. Hinata watches her eyes fade back into their normal dark color.

The Sharingan has been sealed.

—

The fallout of Sarada and Boruto's mission, expectedly, leaves the Uchiha and Hyūga-Uzumaki families in shambles.

Naruto and Sasuke have both lost their minds. They spend most of their time sitting at their children's bedside, worrying until they make themselves sick. They both only have small families left, Hinata doesn't blame their worry. Sakura struggles to hold the Hokage office together and spends most of her time working from her office at home. Himawari joins Naruto and Sasuke by their bedsides, offering pretty flowers she had picked. She is suspended from any further missions. Hanabi has been taking care of most of the Hyūga business for the time being as she tries to hold her family together.

Hinata looks up at the ceiling. Would this have happened in her original reality? If she had stayed, would their fate be the same?

It really only spirals downward from there.

—-

"Naruto," her voice is shaking. She doesn't know if she's upset or angry. "You can't just leave."

"Sasuke and I have information on the shinobi responsible for hurting Boruto and Sarada," he says. He is sitting on the floor, surrounded by piles of mess, as he slowly packed them into his backpack.

"Naruto."

"He's not just anyone," he promises. "He's been causing trouble in other Hidden Villages for years and murdering civilian towns like it's a game."

"Naruto."

He turns to her and his eyes are glinting with _that _look. That same stupid determined look that she fell in love with so long ago.

That look, she thinks, will be his undoing.

"I can't sit around knowing he's running free."

"You're going on a revenge mission."

He pauses and looks down at his bag. Hinata thinks that she really wanted to punch that Uchiha teammate of his. "Maybe," he finally admits, but he is smiling. "But my family has been hurt— and I won't let the person who did it walk free."

His words are the most calming thing he could offer, but they do little to soothe her.

She twitches. "Who will be Hokage?"

"Sakura-chan is taking over," he answers. "She'll be a more than capable Hokage."

Hinata's head is spinning. "Naruto—"

"Sasuke and I are leaving in the morning," he says, focusing back on her with a serious gaze. "I'm sorry."

As a wife, she is outraged. As a mother, she is furious. But as a shinobi and a person, she understands.

She drops down into her knees and crushes him into a hug. Naruto blinks for a second, surprised, then hugs her back.

"Come back alive."

His eyes glimmer. In his own way, this is for their family. "You know it."

—

Like her teammates, she had many names. Weak. Useless.

Konoha's Blossom Queen.

But this title, Hinata, has to admit is by far the most impressive.

Sakura overlooks the Village from the Hokage mansion, her hand gripping the railing. Her pink hair is longer, tied losely behind her back. Her white cloak blows softly in the wind. The words _Eighth Hokage _are etched in red into the back.

"Sakura-sama," Hinata greets, joining her side.

The pink haired woman laughs. "Sakura is just fine, Hinata-chan." The skin around her eyes wrinkles as she smiles. She looks older and more worn out.

With Naruto and Sasuke out of town, Tsunade's location unknown, and Kakashi retired, someone else had to step in as Hokage and quickly. Sakura had been the best choice in such a short notice. She already knew the in and outs of the Hokage office and was one of the legendary 2nd Generation Sannin. No one would touch Konoha as long as one of them was in office.

"This feels wrong," Sakura finally says, breaking the silence between them. Her hand grips around the Hokage hat tightly. In her eyes is an anguished storm. "This title is Naruto's, not mine."

Hinata thinks she knows how she feels. Sakura had listened to Naruto for years about how much he wanted to become Hokage. She had been there every step of the way and had been by his side the day he was inaugurated. To suddenly step must feel so wrong.

The Hyūga makes a small noise to herself, refocusing her eyes onto Konoha. In the near distance, the approaching storm grows stronger. The horizon darkens and the wind picks up, whistling softly.

"He'll be back," she tells the Hokage. Sakura turns to look at her, but her eyes continue to gaze over her village. "Sasuke too."

She thinks of this reality, which had once been so happy, had turned sour so quickly. Of Boruto's broken body and Sarada's broken mind. She thinks of her family, and how I'm every reality, she has only wanted the best for them.

"He promised."

—-

Somewhere along the line, Sakura and Sarada move in with them. With Sakura busy most of the time, Sarada didn't need to be left alone in an empty apartment.

Her and Boruto are mostly watched over by maids and medical ninjas, who come and go periodically.

Himawari spends most of her time on missions, trying to get in as much as experience as she can now that her father isn't assigning them.

Hinata spends most of her time at the Hyūga compound, but spends all of her free time in helping the kids recover.

The physical damage is progressing, but the mental damage remains clearly.

—

The bathroom door is slightly ajar and Hinata can see Sakura and Sarada at the bath tub. Sarada is sitting in the tub, knees presses against her chest, absently staring ahead. Sakura kneels down by the side of the tub, pouring water onto her hair and black, like she was five, not seventeen.

Hinata wonders what she saw in the Tsukuyomi, but she never asks.

The haunted look in Sarada's eyes says more than enough.

—-

Boruto's body is shaking as he moves. The kimono he's wearing sticks to his body and his blond hair is plastered against his face. His hair is long and his skin is pale.

His body is mended, but it is still very broken.

"Again," Hinata says, resuming her fighting stance.

He has trouble building up and controlling chakra these days. The effects of his last mission clearly visible.

But he is just as stubborn and as eager as his father. There is nothing that will keep him from training or recovering.

Boruto grins at her, but she imagines every muscle in his body hurts. Even like this, his taijutsu skills are phenomenal. Hinata thinks he may even be able to take on Lee's daughter if he tried hard enough.

She is proud of how far he's come in such a short time.

Boruto steels his gaze and readjusts his stance. He launches himself forward again and they're engaged in another battle of Gentle Fists.

—

Hinata knows something is wrong when she steps into Sakura's office, two years into her term, and finds Kakashi standing at her desk.

He is older now. He looks healthier and happier. Retirement has been suiting him well, it seems. But he had sworn up and down that he would never step foot in the Hokage office ever again after he stepped down, and the fact that he was here now, especially when he was supposed to be traveling the world with Gai, was concerning enough.

"Lord Sixth," Hinata greets, bowing. "What are you doing here?"

Kakashi turns away from Sakura to greet her. "Thinking about coming out of retirement."

That, that was definitely worrying.

Hinata glances to the sittiing Hokage, who almost looks sick with worry behind her desk and intertwined desk.

Anxiety stirs in the pit of her stomach. Something is wrong. Something is very, very wrong.

Sakura senses that she's already caught on. The Hokage inhales, intertwining her fingers together in front of her face. If not for the bright pink hair, she would look exactly like Tsunade.

"Naruto and Sasuke went missing two weeks ago."

Hinata's heart stops. "What?" she manages to choke out.

"They've been sending me weekly mission reports for the past two years. They never missed one week," her face darkens, "but they stopped reporting two weeks ago."

The Hyuga's head is spinning so rapidly that the only thing keeping her standing up is her experience with nerve racking situations as a shinobi.

Naruto and Sasuke... missing? No, no... Naruto promised... he promised... Naruto never broke his promises.

Kakashi twists his body to face her. "Sakura called me in a week ago."

"For what?" she asks and regrets it immediately. Sakura's face somehow manages to drop even further.

Then she looks up at her, eyes glinting with that crazy, head-strong determination that set her apart from the other kunoichi. "We're going after them."

She feels like she's going to throw up. "Wait, what— Sakura—"

"Something has happened to my teammates," she says, gazing at her with steely eyes. "And we're going to bring them back."

Kakashi nods.

Hinata looks between them. "Are you— are you stepping in as Hokage?"

The Sixth Hokage laughs, waving. "No, no."

Sakura speaks up again. "If someone has done something to Naruto and Sasuke, the two most powerful and skilled shinobi alive, then I alone am no match. Kakashi's going with me."

She bits the inside of her mouth. "Then, who— who's going to step in as Hokage—"

"—No one."

"The village will be defenseless—"

"We shouldn't be gone long," she explains. "A month at most. We know they're last location. We'll track them from there."

"The kids—"

"—will be fine," the Lady Hokage promises. She shifts and suddenly Hinata can see all the bags underneath her eyes. "They're not little children anymore, Hinata-chan. Himawari is our best chunin at age 12. Boruto and Sarada are 18 and almost completely recovered."

Hinata's frown only deepens. "Sakura..."

Her hands tighten slightly at her sides. Even in this reality, is she doomed to only look after her children? To watch helplessly as her loved ones die while she is safely tucked away?

Hinata doesn't realize she's shaking until Sakura is walking around her desk, placing her hand on her shoulder. "Forgive me, Hinata."

She grits her teeth. Her husband is missing and she is alone, but she will not cry. "Bring them back," she says so quietly it's almost a hiss.

She smiles but her eyes are sad. "Watch over Sarada for me."

Kakashi and Sakura disappear one week into their mission.

—-

Hinata wants to scream with rage, tear the village council apart by her bare hands, shout at the top of her lungs— but there is nothing she can do. It is out of her control and Himawari has already agreed.

There is a certain uneasiness that ripples across the crowd. In less than five years, Konoha was to be in the hands of a third Hokage?

But their anxiousness dies down when Himawari steps toward the railing, overlooking the citizens of the Hidden Leaf, who cheer and scream at her arrival.

Himawari has grown older. She is almost fourteen now. Her long black hair is straight and flows slightly in the autumn wind. The cloak on her shoulders looks almost exactly like her father's. Her face is covered by the old-fashioned Hokage hat, but there is a certain maturity in the way she stands that Hinata doesn't remember growing.

With Sakura missing, another Hokage had to be selected and quickly. To the council, the choice was obvious. She's adored by the village as their princess, a prodigal genius, with multiple connections to different Hokages, and an heir to the Uzumaki and Hyūga clans. With so many titles at such a young age, the only doubt would stem from how many Hokages Konoha has recently gone through.

Himawari throws the hat up into the air and the villagers roar from below. The worry that Hinata had sensed in her vanishes in the blink of an eye, and then she is grinning, with Naruto's smile. "I promise to protect Konoha as your 9th Hokage, in my dad's absence."

The crowd roars with cheering and their applaud is loud enough to be heard villages away. Sarada and Boruto are at Hinata's side, clapping the loudest. To Sarada's credit, she seems unmoved that Himawari beat her to her dream.

The cheers promise a week-long festival. For a second, the village seems to forget that their 6th, 7th and 8th Hokages might be dead.

—

When the council elders had arrived at their door, speaking nonsense about how Himawari has been decided as the 9th Hokage.

The Hokage.

Her child, who couldn't even cut paper properly, was a Kage level shinobi? No, no way. Himawari is genius, but a child nonetheless. To even suggest she has such power is ridiculous.

Hinata is furious. She's watched both Naruto and Sakura, both war veterans twice Himawari's age, crack under the stress of the Hokage title. What had the council been thinking? Why would Himawari agree? Does she not realize she's painted a giant target on her back?

Himawari, does not share the same sentiment. She agrees to becoming Hokage under the pretense that it's temporary and to uphold her father's legacy.

Naruto, however, doesn't return until quite a while later.

—

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Himawari asks. Her hand presses gently into the seal mark on Sarada's bare back.

"If we're in the danger that I think we are, it's the only choice," she states in that same unwavering tone. She is twenty now. Her pink hair is short and styled in a way that reminds Hinata of how Sasuke used to do his hair when he was young; it looks

like a duck's butt.

Boruto stands by his mother's side, not far from the girls. He is older now too, and his blond hair has grown longer and is parted in the middle. He's dressed in light lavender clothes that look almost identical to Neji's. He looks concerned, but he knows better than to fight Sarada.

Himawari holds out her, glowing blue with chakra, and tiny white characters on her finger tips. When she presses them into Sarada's seal, the room explodes into blue light.

Sarada hunches over more on the floor, gritting her teeth so hard that blood begins to dribble from her mouth. Himawari's free hand is a blur of hand signs and her mouth moves back and forth too quickly to understand.

The blue light fades down into Himawari's opened hand, and Sarada gasps, eyes shooting open, as the sudden blood red in her eyes blossoms into the Mangekyo's beautiful, black Sakura flower.

—

Team 7 return at the last possible moment, as an army is descending upon Konoha— and Hinata and the remainder of her family are standing in the fray of it.

Explosions rock the city and debris scatters like flowers in the wind. The front gate has been all but destroyed.

Himawari is shouting orders with an authority that Hinata never believed she could possess.

"Himawari-sama," speaks a nearby shinobi. "You're needed in the office! Not the front lines!"

She practically bites his head off. "Instead of ordering your Hokage around, why don't you follow the ones she gives you?" she scowls. "Evacuate all civilians and newly graduated genin— NOW!"

Hinata lands a perfectly aimed Gentle Fist at the enemy, and their body crumpled usefully to the ground. Hanabi and Hiashi are at her back.

"Papa," Hanabi laughs. "You are getting old."

Hiashi shakes his head and ignores her.

Hinata watches her children, and for the first time, she sees all that power that everyone else does.

Himawari maybe the youngest Hokage, and maybe even the weakest, but a weak Hokage is still an incredibly powerful shinobi. She moves with breathtaking power and force. Her Byakugan never fails and she makes every hit perfectly. Her stamina and chakra reserves are as great as her father's, that is without the aid of the Kyuubi.

When she grows older, she'll be almost unstoppable.

Not far from her, Sarada moves with unchallenged grace that only an Uchiha can posses. Her foot work is almost like a ballet dance, composed and alluring. Despite having only less than two weeks to readjust to the Sharingan, after nearly four years having it sealed, one would only be able to tell if you knew. Even without the use of the Mangekyō, her monstrous strength and ninjutsu make her a formidable opponent.

She slams her foot onto the ground and the earth rumbles, splitting like an earthquake in her wake.

And although his sister is the prodigy, Boruto is the one truly skilled at the Byakugan. His Taijutsu skills are incredible. In the midst of the battle, his figure is a blur, savor for his bright blond hair. His Gentle Fists are much closer to chakra-enhanced punches, but if anything, that somehow improves their effect.

Neji, she thinks, would've loved him.

And maybe none of them will ever come close to surpassing their fathers' legacies, but their individual skill and teamwork are still impressive, nonetheless.

And the battle only continues to worsen. Enemy numbers are falling, but so are their own. Enemy forces and the man, who had gravely injured Sarada and Boruto all those years, continue to push forward into the village. Any further, the civilians would have to be evacuated from the Hokage rock out of the village.

Miracles, of course, are always unexpected.

"Amaterasu!"

Black fire explodes into life, knocking out large numbers of enemies in an instant. A blur of yellow zooms past them in the sky, then smashes their fist into the leader's face. The force sends them flying into a building and it crumples like a glass upon impact.

Hinata's whole body is consumed with relief and she can't help the smile that spreads across her face. Alive. They're alive. They all know who it is instantly.

Sasuke and Naruto, in Kurama mode, land on the ground with perfected ease. Sakura and Kakashi are feet behind them. They all look a little frailer and older. Some parts of their clothes are ripped and some scars that hadn't been there before are clearly visible. But Hinata hardly cares. She can feel a ripple of energy rack through their forces at the sight of the four of them.

She's never been so fucking happy to see Uchiha Sasuke and probably never will be again.

But there is no time for reunions. Luckily, though, the battle ends quickly after their arrival. The majority of Konoha has been saved, but the rest is in rubble. Bodies, friends and enemies alike, litter the ground, and medical ninjas are running around like headless chickens trying to heal the wounded.

"Dad!" Boruto and Himawari scream, stumbling to their father, and tackling him into a hug. And Naruto, always the sensitive one, breaks down crying in their arms, rambling nonsense about how much he missed them.

Sarada practically flies into her parents' arms and buries her head in their shoulders before anyone can seee her tears. Sasuke and Sakura wrap her in their arms, patting her hair and crying softly with her.

Hinata watches them all with a smile. Sarada had feared the worse that both of her parents were worst, and her own drove themselves insane looking for their father— but here they all were, alive. Beaten, bruised, dirty, and bloody, but _alive._

She doesn't realize she's crying too until her family is pulling her, the other Uchihas, and Kakashi into their hug. There's so many of them and the sight is far from from pretty. Their crying is ugly and disgusting and there is snot and blood everywhere, but they are all consumed with pain-numbing relief and happiness and nothing else in the world really matters at that moment.

"I like your robes," Naruto tells Himawari through a smile and tears. "I'm so proud of you," then turns and looks at Boruto, "and you."

"I'm not the Hokage," Boruto says. His cheeks are tear stained and his eyes are red.

"Neither am I, datteba," Himawari grins, looking up at her father.

"What?" Naruto makes a mock offended face. "You didn't enjoy your time as Hokage, Hima-sama?"

She sticks her tongue out playfully and childishly. "Too much responsibility."

Naruto laughs and hugs his children tighter. Hinata looks up the sky, tears still streaming down her cheeks. The smallest stream of sunlight peaks through the dark clouds.

Boruto holds onto her hand and looks up at her through those big blue eyes. "Please don't cry, Mom."

She shakes her head wordlessly and her vision begins to blur again. She crushes him in a hug that he'll probably complain about hurting his ribs later.

She is so happy, so stupidly relieved and mind-mumblingly grateful. Her family is alive, down to every last one of them, even to the Uchihas who had somehow become a part of it.

Things were going to be okay. The village will be rebuilt and the living will mourn, but they will grow stronger. They are alive. Her family are alive and reunited— and really, that's all that matters. Maybe that makes her selfish, maybe that makes her close-minded, but Hinata hardly cares. She is happy and delighted beyond belief at the prospect of the future.

So delighted, in fact, she lets herself ignore how Naruto's hand slips into Sasuke's.

—

Team 7's return sparks unwavering excitement and hope in the village. Himawari happily passes the Hokage title back to her father, who leads the rebuilding with Sakura and Sasuke at his sides, as he always has.

Once things begin to calm down, they all gather for dinner for the first time in years. The dinner is filled with laughter and insane stories about the time they had missed together. However, Hinata notices they all leave out the darker details— but today is no time to mourn. There is no time to waist on sadness right now.

"Oi, Sasuke," Naruto calls to his teammate, who sits across from him at the table. The Hokage slurps down his ramen without shame. Ichiraku Ramen, of course. "You realize you're the original Team 7 member who hasn't been Hokage?"

Sasuke pauses sipping his tea stoically, but there is a twinkle in his eye. "Yeah, that's because I'm too busy helping you be one."

He makes a loud noise of protest and the two begin to squabble like they usually did, though it's much more playful in comparison to what it had been in their youth. Sakura watches her teammates with a tiny, amused smile.

"Ne," Boruto begins, looking up from his miso soup and wrinkling his nose. "Are Uncle Sasuke and I the only ones who haven't been Hokage?"

Hinata raises her hand a little, and looks to Sarada, expecting her to do the same, but she makes no move to do so. She stares ahead, a determined glint shining in her eyes. Hinata notes how much she's physically changed in the last year. "Yet," she states, then begins to promise. "One day I'll be Hokage too— and restore honor to my clan."

None of them argue or complain at her. Her parents and Naruto stare at her with a small smile. Sarada is an Uchiha, after all, and there is no force in Heaven, Hell or Earth that could stop an Uchiha from what they desire the most.

—

"Divorce?" Hinata echoes, staring straight into the distance ahead, startled. The three other women walk alongside on the straight, bags swinging from their wrists as they walked.

Sakura had insisted on a ladies afternoon, accompanied by Ino, who has been bragging endlessly bout how handsome Injojin has grown, and Tenten, who has been showing off her new weapon designs.

The pink haired woman turns her head to the Hyuga and smiles uncharacteristically. Hinata wonders if the other kunoichi has hit her head.

Next to them, Ino has fallen uncharacteristically silent and watches Tenten fiddle with a small device in her hands as they walk. It seems she is the last to know.

"It was just time, y'know," she says, gaze locked ahead. There's a small twinge of a smile to her lips. The Hyuga has to restrain herself from shaking her head. No, she did not understand.

As long as she can remember, Sakura has always been infatuated with Sasuke. In their youth, she wrote sickly sweet confessions and brought him enough bentos to feed the whole Academy. As she grew older, her borderline obessive nature had calmed down drastically and the two married not long after she and Naruto had. Hinata had always found their relationship a little strange, but amusing nonetheless. Their marriage consisted mostly of Sakura making fun of him and Sasuke being too tired to stop her.

In her original reality, divorce would have made much more sense. Sakura had resigned herself to raising Sasuke's child, while Sasuke had gone twelve years without knowing his daughter. As far as Hinata knew, their marriage, at least in this reality, was a happy one. Sasuke stayed home and raised Sarada alongside Sakura. And the two of them love their daughter, their only child, so much with so much adoration, it's dizzying.

The idea is simply... unexpected?

But then again, that had all been four years ago. Times has changed. She has changed and so has the world around her. Her children have grown older and show no signs of slowing down any time soon. Hinata seems to keep forgetting that the time change also applies to the other adults.

There is still so much more they have not spoken about the years they had been missing.

The lingereging _why? _echoes unspoken between them. Hinata is too polite to press for further details, but Sakura senses her curious gaze and doesn't seem to mind sharing.

"It was my choice," she begins, "and he didn't argue. It was a mutual agreement."

Sakura is mysteriously calm, almost wistfully happy, as she looks ahead. Her eyes are soft and there is no sign of agression in them. The wrinkles around her eye seem fewer and lighter. She looks younger, like an enormous weight has been lifted off her shoulder.

The pink Hokage turns to her and smiles. "At some point, he just kinda became more of a brother to me. We'll always be teammates and coworkers and Sarada's parents. Nothing can change that."

Hinata wonders what happened in those years she was gone.

—

With their parents' return and their growing age came new training of much more powerful jutsus.

Himawari has been attempting to bother her father into teaching her Sage Mode, and Naruto has, unsuccessfully, been trying to explain to her that it's not that easy. Sarada and Sasuke are away from the village on another training mission, something about the susanoo, though Hinata thinks they're probably burning down neighboring villages.

Y'know, normal Uchiha things.

There are somethings the last Uchiha male refuses to teach his daughter about the Sharingan. Some family secrets are best buried in the past, after all.

Boruto looks over at Sakura, who is kneeled over the grass, healing a butterfly's ripped wing. "Sakura obasan," he calls.

The butterfly in her hands flaps its wings once, then twice, then flies off. The pink haired woman smiles at the healed creature before turning to the young man. "Hm?"

"Can you take me in as your apprentice?"

Sakura's eyes sparked with a determined fire and she grins.

Nearby, Naruto grumbles something inaudible about traitorous children.

—-

There are things that Hinata begins noticing. They're not that big, thus, she never says anything. She ignores how Naruto and Sasuke are more inseparable than they've ever been. She ignores how their hands entangle and intertwine together. How they smile at each other a little too warmly. How their shoulders bump and they talk like they're the only people in the world. She ignores their longing glances and the touches that last a little too long.

She watches them from afar. Since when had they been so close? Of course, they had been best friends for years and closeness was a guarantee, but this, this was something else.

She draws the line at this, though.

The ringing phone is persistent and awfully loud. Hinata rolls around in her bed, covering her ears with her pillows, as if that would suddenly stop it. Unfortunately, it only continues. With a groan, she crawls out of bed and trods through the darkness of her house. Konoha is silent, all except for the frogs that croak melodically in the night. With the aid of her Byakugan, she eventually finds the torturous phone.

Who the hell is calling at this hour?

She picks up the phone and winces at the static noise it makes when she presses it to her ear. "Hello?" she greets groggily.

"Hinata!" Sakura shouts, sighing with relief. "Oh, thank god. One more voicemail and I was gonna kidnap Naruto—"

"Huh?" she mumbles, squinting a little. "Sakura-chan, it's 2 am."

"I know! Gomenne," she apologizes rather sheepishly. On the other end of the phone, she can hear tossing and turning, and small pained moans.

Huh?

"Can you get Naruto?"

She furrows her brow tiredly. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, um," Sakura hesitates. Hinata finds that odd. "Sasuke— Sasuke's having a really bad nightmare. Sarada called me and I rushed over, but neither of us can—"

"So... you want Naruto to come over?"

If Sakura, his teammate and ex-wife, who he was still on friendly terms with, enough for Sarada to call her over, couldn't comfort him, what made Sakura think that Hinata's husband could?

The former Hokage begins to rattle nervously, which really did not help her case. "Well, you see, while we were gone, it was a thing they kinda did— they slept tog— wait, not like that— I mean—"

As if on cue, Naruto comes stumbling through the living room from his own bedroom. He trips on quite a few things, however, until he's smart enough to find the lights. Hinata sees stars at the sudden brightness.

Naruto somehow makes it by her side. He grumbles something incoherent, then squints at her. "Who is it?"

"Sakura," she answers, holding the phone out to him.

He practically snatches it from her. He's barely on the phone with her for ten seconds before he's slamming it back on the receiver and running out the door, still in his underwear and cute sleeping hat. And Hinata watches him go, the door slamming shut loudly behind them.

Her head is spinning so quickly it almost makes her nauseated. Naruto left in his underwear to sleep with Sasuke. Naruto has been sleeping with Sasuke for the past several years. Sakura knows they've been sleeping together.

Naruto is the only one who can comfort Sasuke. Sasuke is the only person who can comfort Naruto.

She spends the rest of the night wide awake.

—-

Hinata admires Sakura's new apartment as she takes her shoes off at the door. It's a stone throw away form the Hokage mansion and its only slightly larger than a shoe box apartment, though she hardly needs the extra space. Despite her short residency in it, it already feels warm and lived in.

The walls are decorated with quite a few Sakura tree paintings and countless pictures. The living room is strung with fuzzy blankets and Hinata notices one of Sarada's shirts hanging off a chair.

Sakura greets warmly, drying her freshly washed hands on her dress before ushering further inside, and closing the door behind her.

"Homey," the Hyūga admits, looking around the apartment.

"Thank you," she smiles. "Sarada's with me this weekend, so I've been trying to clean up."

Hinata tilts her head a little. "Isn't she twenty, Sakura-chan?"

The former Hokage laughs a little, sadly. "Yeah. Sasuke and I missed a lot of time with her. We're just trying to make it up."

She nods in understanding. It's been practically impossible to separate Naruto from either of their children, even if he is busy with Hokage nonsense.

"Is there something wrong, Hinata?" she finally asks and her eyes glow a little worriedly. "You said you wanted to talk in person?"

She shifts on her feet and nods. She suddenly feels twelve years old again. Sakura gestures for her to sit with her in the living room.

The silence between them feels worse than hands around your throat. After a few minutes, Hinata finally manages to choke out what she wants to know. "Last week, when Naruto—" her throat is so dry, "—when Naruto went to Sasuke—"

Sakura's whole demeanor suddenly shifts. "Hina—"

"What was _that_?" she demands and her voice is shaking. "Teammates don't do that, Sakura!"

The other woman looks down, sympathy radiating off of her.

Hinata's sick of it.

"What happened while you guys were gone?"

Silence.

She feels like she's on the edge of breaking down. She's spent the whole week full of anxiety and worry and fear and so many jumbling emotions that didn't make sense and— "Sakura!"

The pink haired woman looks up at her with a pained expression. "It's not my secret to tell, Hinata. I'm sorry."

"I deserve to know," she says and her voice is suddenly so low, "if Naruto is cheating. I'm his wife—"

"—But you're not the love of his life."

Hinata's whole world is suddenly shattering. "What?"

"That idiot," Sakura grunts underneath her breath. "He should've told you by no—"

"—Tell me what?" she's almost hysterical. "Naruto's been secretly been in love with Sasuke— for the what? Past twenty five years?"

Sakura has fallen silent across from her. She doesn't know what to say. Even if she did, she doubts it would comfort Hinata.

"Is that why you and Sasuke split?"

She winces.

"Sakura!" she's shaking. Naruto would never cheat on her. Naruto would never cheat on her. "Tell me! LOOK AT ME!"

The former Hokage looks up at the ceiling as Hinata breathes heavily. She feels like she's going insane and she's sure the other woman thinks she is. But then Sakura is looking at her, steely eyes unmoving. "There's no one in the world who matters to Sasuke more than Naruto, and there is no one in the world who matters to Naruto more than Sasuke."

Hinata is knocked silent under her sudden words.

"They've spent their whole lives chasing after each other. When Sasuke left, Naruto was willing to burn the world down to get him back— and Sasuke, ultimately, came back because of him."

She covers her ears and she's almost forty, but she's acting like a child. "You're lying—"

"Hina," Sakura's voice is so pained. "Please don't hurt yourself over this. I— I really can't explain it, I'm not the one to ask about it, but—"

Her panic has headed to a calm. "Is that why you and Sasuke split?"

"Yes," she answer simply.

Hinata's whole world is spinning and she's become indescribably dizzy. She thinks back to when Sakura had told her the divorce had been her choice. "Why would you—"

She wavers for a second, trying to think of what to say. "I've known them my whole life, really. I've watched Sasuke lose his mind, make a deal with devil and not care if it took his body in exchange. I've seen him broken and fragile and cling to Sarada until his arm goes numb because he's so terrified stiff of losing her. Every day he nearly drives himself desperate and insane with guilt, and this incredibly belief that he needs to redeem himself," she looked own at her face, then continues. "I've seen Naruto become the Hokage, start a family, end a war, and save the world all from nothing. I see his shaky hands every time a new mission report comes in that another shinobi has been killed action. I've seen him sacrifice himself over and over again." she exhales shakily, "And I think... And I think after everything they've both been through, they deserve the best."

Sakura stands up and walks over to her, gently resting her hand on her shoulder. "Naruto never cheated on you, Hinata, if that's what you're worried about."

She does not respond. Physical cheating meant little to her if he was in love with another man.

There are so many things she does not understand. "Why would you do that?" she finally asks.

The former Hokage smiles. "Because my family is happy, Hinata. Surely you understand that."

And she does. In her messy life, that is the one thing she can undeniably understand.

Her father's cruelty in her youth and Neji's death led to her valuing family above all else. She raised her own family, far away from the Hyuga arrogance and ideas. She had given her whole soul and her whole being to her children. And once her family had been established, she returned to her birth one, ripped its roots up and made it into something Neji would have been proud of. When Naruto had left, it was her who took care of the children for those four years. When they had all left, she had taken in Sarada as her own in their absence.

Everthing she has ever done since the end of the war has been for her family. Her family's happiness means her own. If her family is not, there's no point to her's. Everything meant nothing if her family was broken.

The Hyuga looks down at her hands and laughs emptily. "So this is it?"

Twenty years of marriage, a life time of devotion and love, and this is how it ended? Losing the love of her life to the same man who had stolen his arm? To spend so many years as the best mother and wife she could be, just so she could lose to a traitor Uchiha?

Is this where life has led her?

Sakura's gentle and assuring smile is unwavering. "You don't have to figure anything out right now, Hinata-chan. You don't even have understand them, ever— but don't be hard on yourself. Naruto loves you, he really does—"

She knows because Naruto would never dive into things that didn't mean anything to him. His marriage to her, even at such a young age, and his love for his family, said volumes.

"—Sasuke is just first," the Hyuga finishes for her and Sakura looks almost too pained to answer. Sasuke, Hinata thinks, truly did not deserve her.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Sakura," Hinata tells her, looking down at her fists in her lap. She is calmed down. The words about her family had gotten through to her, but that didn't mean it stung any less.

Sakura sits down on the chair's arm. Her tone is one that cannot be argued with. "Your value, Hinata, is much more than Naruto's wife."

—-

Hinata spends the next weeks thinking about Sakura's words. There's so little she understands, but there's so much that suddenly makes sense.

Naruto and Sasuke.

Moon and Sun. Light and dark. Always orbiting each other, never far from the other.

When even Sakura had given up on Sasuke all those years ago, Naruto hadn't. The only happy memories of his youth that Sasuke had were the ones with him. The only person that ever really mattered to him for years was Naruto.

In a way, it makes sense that they would find each other, in the end. Fate ties them together. When they both die, they will be reborn and find each other in the next life too. The only thing that ties her to him is a piece of paper they signed when they were nineteen.

Perhaps she does it for Naruto, so that he can be happy. Perhaps she does it for herself, so she doesn't have to go through the rest of her marriage, thinking she'll always be second best.

But she makes her decision when she sees them.

She's returning from a long day at the Hyūga compound. She discards her shoes at the door and changes her clothes into something more comfortable.

There's a slight shuffle and small murmur from Naruto's bedroom across the hallway.

Naruto is home.

She steps out of her bedroom door to greet him. His door is slightly ajar. She peeks in through the open crack and her heart stops in her chest.

There's two people in her husband's bed and she's confident that she knows who the second person is.

Their clothes are on— thank god— and the room smells clean, no hint of sex or semen taint the air. Blankets are thrown over two figures, one blond and the other raven.

Sasuke's back is turned to her. His hair his messy and his face is tucked away into the crook of her husband's neck. His chest rises and falls slowly with every breath.

He is fast asleep.

Naruto is facing her direction, but he is oblivious to her presence. His hair is the same spiky mess it is every morning. His blue eyes are sleepy and staring at Sasuke with adoration. His real hand comes up to cup the other man's cheeks. The look in his eyes is full of love and endearment.

Hinata wonders what really happened in the years they were gone.

She slips away from the door, changes her clothes, and heads back out.

She hopes she's not making a mistake.

—

She thinks of her children foremost. Boruto and Sarada have long since moved out. They are adults and they might be sad, but it will be alright. Himawari is fifteen and has led Konoha through battle as its Hokage, she will be okay with time.

But she thinks about herself a little bit too. How Sakura had been right. For the last twenty years, her main identity revolved around being Naruto's wife. Her life's goal had been that.

And it was pathetic, really.

Sure, she had refused to be a house wife and had become head of one of the most internationally known clans— but all of her life he had been the most important thing to her. Maybe, maybe for once she should focus on herself.

Did she even mean that? Or was she so truly in love with him that she was willing to give up their marriage for his happiness?

God, that made no sense. But then again, nothing ever did, had it?

She's not sure if she's doing the right thing or the wrong thing, or if she's gone absolutely insane, but she's sure that she has to do this.

And Naruto better make it worth it.

—

The papers in her hand are sealed inside a manila folder. Naruto's name is scribbled in her neat handwriting on the front.

When she hands the papers to him, she makes sure he is alone in the Hokage office.

He pears at it curiously, still a child at heart. "What is this?" he asks innocently, opening the folder, and examining the yellow papers.

His face falls immediately when he reads the title. Hinata's heart shatters at his expression and she suddenly wonders if she's made the world's biggest mistake.

He looks up at her and she thinks about how much she loves him. She cups his cheek with her hand and gazes down at him.

They are both much older now, nearing the forties at a rapid speed. Twenty years have passed since they married. Thirty have passed since she started loving him.

But now, it is time to let him go. For both of their sake's.

"Do you love him?" she finally speaks and her voice is so much more calm than she feels.

Naruto shifts through multiple emotions at once. Hurt, shock, fear, guilt, shame. For once, he is silent. It is so quiet she can hear his heartbeat and the soft tick of the clock on the wall.

He shifts his gaze down, pauses, then looks up at her, staring at her with those determined eyes once more. Those eyes that will never change. He seems to understand her line of thought.

"Yes," he says with all of the confidence in the world.

She leans in and gently presses her lips to his forehead. She smiles down at him. There is no going back. "Then go get him, tiger."

Naruto jumps up over the desk and crushes her in his arms. He's shaking and muttering some type of mantra of "I'm sorry", "thank you ! thank you! thank you !", and "I love you so much !"

She returns the hug and they stay like that for a few minutes.

His mood suddenly shifts and he grabs her tighter, sorrow radiating off of him. "Goodbye, Hinata."

Hinata, in all her good nature, just laughs sweetly. "I'm not going anywhere, Uzumaki. You can't get rid of me."

He laughs in return. His whole face is scrunched up in joy and his eyes become crescents with his wide smile.

Hinata doesn't have it in herself to be anything but happy with him.

—

Her father is outraged, of course, but all she does is laugh. She does not follow his rules anymore.

He had handed the Hyūga clan to her and there was absolutely nothing he could do now.

—-

Naruto and Sasuke's wedding is beautiful, even Hinata can not deny that— and the whole world seems to celebrate with them, even though it's a private ceremony. Visitors flock in from all corners of the world to Konoha and the Leaf's villagers throw a week's long festival.

It's a beautiful ceremony, really. Held as the sun sets, with paper lanterns and an ungodly amount of ramen. The Uzumaki swirl within the Uchiha crest is decorated everywhere.

Even Hinata is surprised how easily the children make the shift, even if two of them are adults and the other is the 9th Hokage. Sasuke and Naruto had already been serving as father figures for the other's children for years. So, perhaps it is not that hard for the union of their families to happen.

Sakura is there, of course. She wouldn't miss it for the world. For the second time, Iruka acts as Naruto's father in the ceremony. For the first time, Sasuke lets Kakashi act as his, at least for thirty minutes.

The two newly weds bicker as they fumble to dance, as they always have. Naruto blames their horribly dancing skills on Sasuke's missing arm and Sasuke somehow picks him up with one arm bridal style to embarrass him and then drops him, just for good measure.

Hinata stays just long enough to show her support. She watches Boruto and Kiba's niece, who really just looked like a female version of Kiba, grapple around in a fist fight on the ground. Nothing out of the ordinary there, really. However, Himawari was talking to Sai, which did make her a little nervous.

Sarada lingers by her side, perhaps feeling a little sympathetic for her, but mainly from refusal to socialize with strangers.

Shikamaru and Temari's daughter approaches them. She's a beautiful and intimidating mixture of both her parents, with her mother's hair style, striking green eyes, and her father's dark hair and unbelievable intelligence. Two small fans hang from the her waist, despite the clear "no weapons" sign at the front gate.

But then she smiles at Sarada and holds her hand out. "Wanna dance?"

The Uchiha grabs her hand immediately and they disappear in a flurry of people. Hinata laughs a little bit or herself. There is no war to be fought. There is no need for children to grow up so quickly.

—

Somehow she finds herself in a small, sticky bar not far from the venue, with the night moon high in the sky. Kiba and Shino sit with her around the circular table littered with sake bottles. Akamaru is curled comfortably around their feet, sound asleep. It's a ridiculous time of night, past midnight, but the streets are still alit with celebration.

"Naruto and Sasuke," Kiba muses, stretching his arms. Hinata smiles to herself at his drunken expression. "Who would've thought?"

Shino indifferently pours himself another glass of sake. He looks the most sober out of the three of them, but the pinkness of his skin gives him away. "Everyone."

Akamaru stirs underneath the table and barks softly.

His master scowls at him, but reaches down to pat him on the head anyways. "Traitor."

Hinata laughs a little. She missed this; missed them. She takes another swing of alcohol, then sets her cup down. Her cheeks are flushed and her hair sticks to her sweaty face. A devious smile spreading across her face. "So... Boruto and Shiba, huh?"

Kiba almost falls out of his chair in his drunken surprise. He points a finger accusingly at her. "My niece would _never—_"

"—Why not?" she demands, faking anger, and placing a hand on her hip. "Is there something wrong with my son, Inuzuka?"

"Yes."

She throws a spoon at his face, but she misses by a long shot. He, in turn, laughs at her terrible aim. "Bastard," she tells him.

"If I recall correctly," begins Shino, "I remember seeing Sarada and Shika dancing."

"They're cute."

The rest of the night, or morning, rather, continues with their drunken bickering and catching up. The bar eventually closes and they are forced to leave, and instead, collapse on the bench immediately outside of it. Hinata busies herself with scratching the back of Akamaru's ear affectionately. She remembers when a small laugh when Kiba used to carry him around on his head.

Times really do change, she thinks to herself, smiling wistfully.

Above them, Konoha's night sky sparkles with millions of star, the next more beautiful as the last. The night air is cool and a soft breeze blows gently, tousling her hair. Calming. It's calming.

Kiba is squished to her right as her left hanging off the side of the small bench. He is annoyingly warm against her side and reeks of something between wet dog and sake. He suddenly pauses in his ramble and squints at the street light, as if it is too bright. "Is Kakashi the only og of Team 7 who hasn't been married to Sasuke?"

Shino chokes on his spit and Hinata laughs.

Suddenly sleepy, she leans her head onto Kiba's shoulder. The croaking of the frogs and the crickets' melody make for a beautiful harmony. Perhaps she should set up a hammock in the backyard.

"Hinata," Kiba says suddenly. His voice is suddenly a hint more serious. "Why would you do that?"

Shino nods next to him.

"Do what?" she hums wistfully. She considers forcing Himawari to cuddle with her tonight when she gets home.

"Let Naruto go to Sasuke."

"Hm," she muses, closing her eyes. She wants to sleep. Why did she? She had wanted to believe it was for her, to set her free, but that, that wasn't nearly right. "I love him."

Kiba stares at her in astonishment. "That's not—"

Shino smiles underneath his high collared cloak. "You're too good for him, Hinata."

She loves Naruto, even if that means handing him over to someone else, because she loves her family above all else. And nothing in the world could ever change that.

She smiles softly. "I know."

—-

These two parts took me over a month to write, and even now, I'm still not completely satisfied. I also kinda made Sakura and Hinata have some chemistry... haha... oops? — I hope you enjoyed my take on what Boruto should've been like. I didn't think a prologue would do well, so here's some things that happen in the future or that I didn't have enough time to include;

\- relative world peace continues on for quite a while longer

\- Boruto and Sarada were both in love with their former Genin teammate. Her death is what awoke Sarada's Sharingan.

\- Sarada and Shika marry and rebuild the Uchiha clan together somehow ? Idk Mitsuki is artificial in canon it's possible

\- Himawari grows up to be somewhat of a Sannin character, much like Tsunade and Jiraiya. She travels the world as a funny and slightly eccentric women, skilled in Fuinjutsu and an incredible gambling debt. She never marries.

\- Sakura remarries. To who is up to you.

\- Kiba's niece and Boruto also marry eventually. Kiba and Naruto both grumble about it constantly, of course.

\- When Naruto retires, he hands on the mantle of Hokage to /

\- Underneath Sakura's teachings, Boruto becomes skilled in medical jutsu and gains the Strength of a Hundred seal

\- Shikadai still exits except as Shika's twin

\- Kakashi and Gai play bumper cars with their wheel chairs because they're old fartsbr /

\- Sarada and Sakura's pink hair become a trade mark in the new Uchiha clanbr /

\- Naruto and Sasuke live the rest of their lives out happily togetherbr /

\- Hinata continues her life as the head of the Hyuga clan with her children never far, happily content.

End.


End file.
